What do VPNs Have to Offer Smartphone Users?

With all the developments in mobile devices these days, it is easy to let some things slip you by. For users making their way from beginner to intermediate user and beyond, there might be some components of mobile devices with which you are not familiar. Here we'll go over some basic information on VPNs to help you understand what they are and how they are used - and with this, you might get some indication on whether or not they're right for you.

The Basic

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, and in simple terms can be thought of as a go-between between your computer and the internet at large. When connected to a VPN you receive your data from the VPN, and the VPN service itself is responsible for sending and receiving your internet data requests. The benefits of this come primarily down to security, geo spoofing and evading various limitations imposed by your connection point.

When you have a VPN, any attacks have to come through the VPN service, rather than directly to your computer. As VPNs (especially professional ones) have improved security over most basic computer setups, they manage to take a lot of slack for the end user. There is also the added complexity in attacking through a VPN, which again benefits the end user.

"Internet Security Padlock for VPN & Onli" (CC BY 2.0) by mikemacmarketing

Geo-spoofing is a term applied to tricking a website or server into thinking you are from a different location. Sometimes websites or videos are locked behind geographical requirements, so this can be an easy an effective method of circumvention. The same can be said for limitations placed by the connection point themselves. Commonly, this can be seen in free Wi-Fi places like public transport. While the blocking of certain websites is a good idea, they can be overzealous, blocking places which are safe and offer no significant bandwidth drain.

The Modern VPN

Modern VPNs are far from the sluggish old behemoths we had to deal with a decade ago. These days, VPNs can not only access largely the exact same web pages and services as natural connections, they also can do so at a speed which renders them similar in performance.

These days there are an enormous amount of VPNs to choose from, thanks to improving technology and a great market demand. If security is a big concern for you, as it should be, then check out our other articles. These can help to help to decide whether the rest of the features are a good fit for you.

Once you have decided on a VPN service ExpressVPN, we recommend checking out some of the many online reviews, which can help you narrow down the pros and cons, and get the most out of what is right for your devices. Remember to be thorough and read closely, some of them might come with features you didn't even know you would like.

The Take Home

VPNs are becoming more common for a reason. With issues like Net Neutrality raising to the forefront of social conscience our privacy, safety, and freedom of choice and speed have never faced so many threats. The right VPN can help protect you not only now but can help ensure that in the future you are inoculated against many of the issues that governments or businesses see fit to throw at you. Just be sure to use your powers for good.

"AVAAZ Net Neutrality" (CC BY 2.0) by Avaazorg